“Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man” (Matthew 15:18-20).

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever” (I Chronicles 28:9)

David wanted Solomon to serve God with a perfect heart and a willing mind.

A willing mind is ready, eager and alert. The mind is the part of a human being that governs thought, perception, feeling, will, memory, imagination, desire, and purpose. It is the seat of reflective consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception and understanding, feeling and judgment, and evaluation.

However, the Bible seems to indicate that the heart, besides being all of the above, is considered the emotional center where moods or dispositions originate. It is the seat of moral nature and spiritual life, the inner self that thinks, feels, and decides. The thinking processes of man are said to be carried out by the heart.

Thus the condition of the heart should be the most important thing in a Christian’s life. It is the core or central part of a human being. That is exactly where the Lord wants to dwell—right in the center of our lives.

What the Heart Can Do

The heart can love. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

The heart can hate. “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him” (Leviticus 19:17).

The heart can rejoice. “Hannah … said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation” (I Samuel 2:1).

The heart can think. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee” (Proverbs 23:7).

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

The heart can speak. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).